California sea lion stabbed with steak knife
Newport Beach, CA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jul 27, 2007
County: Orange
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Hai Nguyen
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A 24-year-old fisherman was arrested in Newport Beach on Friday for allegedly stabbing a California sea lion repeatedly with a steak knife after the animal stole his bait.
The sea lion, a six-foot female weighing about 150 pounds, was severely wounded and was later euthanized.
"It's a horrible thing," said Dean Gomersall, animal care supervisor at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, where the animal was put to death 4 1/2 hours after the attack. "It's very cruel. My crew is extremely upset, and we're just glad the person was caught."
Hai Nguyen of Garden Grove, who was being held at Newport Beach Jail on $20,000 bail, is expected to be arraigned early next week on a charge of felony cruelty to animals.
Authorities said the case also is being investigated by the U.S. attorney's office for possible federal charges under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Police say Nguyen was fishing off Newport's M Street pier about 12:30 p.m. when the sea lion apparently took the bait from his fishing pole.
The fisherman became upset, they said, and stabbed the animal at least twice with a steak knife.
"It was close enough so he could just reach out and stab it in the water," said Sgt. Evan Sailor, a police spokesman. "A number of people witnessed it and called police."
Nguyen was arrested without incident at the pier, Sailor said.
The wounded animal, meanwhile, was recovered by volunteers from the marine mammal center in Laguna Beach, who discovered that one of the knife wounds had pierced its heart.
The sea lion was euthanized about 5 p.m.
Encounters between sea lions and humans have increased and become a problem in recent years along the coast, particularly in Newport Beach, where the mammals have wrecked docks, kept residents awake with incessant barking and left strong odors. Once, they even sank a sailboat.
City officials responded by making it illegal to dump bait, fish waste and other sea lion attractions into the harbor and later tried to shoo them away with an automated water gun.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center rescues and treats 100 to 200 animals a year, Gomersall said, mostly sea lions who have been caught in nets, punctured with hooks or tangled in lines.
A few times a year, he said, they encounter sea lions who appear to have been intentionally shot or stabbed, though it is rare for a perpetrator to be caught.
Nguyen could face a $25,000 fine and up to a year in prison if convicted on the animal cruelty charge.
In addition, said Martina Sagapolu, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Commerce, a conviction on federal charges of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act could add $12,000 in civil penalties, criminal fines of up to $20,000 and additional jail time.
Sea lions are protected, Gomersall said, because, among other things, they act as a "litmus test for the state of the ocean," their health being a barometer of environmental conditions.
Case UpdatesA Garden Grove fisherman accused of fatally stabbing a sea lion that was stealing his bait was charged Thursday with violating the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hai Nguyen, 24, was charged with a misdemeanor count of taking and "attempting to harass, hunt and kill a California sea lion," according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Thursday.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $20,000 fine.
Nguyen was arrested July 27 in Newport Beach after allegedly stabbing a California sea lion repeatedly with a steak knife. The animal had been swimming near the Balboa Peninsula dock where Nguyen was fishing, apparently so close that he could reach down and stab it.
The sea lion, a 6-foot female weighing about 150 pounds, was trapped by animal control officers and taken to Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. Doctors determined that the animal could not be saved and euthanized it.
In the 4 1/2 hours that it struggled for its life, rescuers named the sea lion Evidence because it had two things most animals injured by humans lack: eyewitnesses and an arrested suspect.
"To be able to have somebody faced with federal charges is huge," said Michele Hunter, a director at the mammal center. "Hopefully, this will send a message that this is not right. This can't be done."
Encounters between humans and sea lions have become more common in recent years, especially in Newport Beach, where the mammals have wrecked docks and kept residents awake with incessant barking.
Humans have occasionally responded with violence.
In 2005, a fishing boat captain was convicted of shooting California sea lions with a .22-caliber rifle off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, and in 2003, two crew members of a fishing vessel in Morro Bay were charged with shooting a young sea lion in the neck with a crossbow.
"What happens is these creatures see an easy meal in the bait or a hooked fish, and this sometimes prompts an angry reaction from the fisherman, which I think is certainly what happened in this case," said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. | Source: LA Times - Aug 31, 2007
Update posted on Aug 31, 2007 - 11:25AM |
A Garden Grove man arrested for inflicting fatal stab wounds on a seal lion at a local jetty faces a Sept. 10 arraignment hearing at the county Harbor Justice Center on animal cruelty charges, police said.
Police arrested Hai Nguyen, 24, on charges of attacking a 150-pound, female sea lion near the 'M' Street Pier in Newport Beach, stabbing the animal repeatedly with a steak knife after it had taken bait fish from his fishing pole, Newport Beach police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.
The wounds proved fatal, with veterinarians at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center electing to euthanize the animal after it was found the several chest wounds could not be treated, Richard Evans, the center's medical director, said.
Nguyen posted the $20,000 bail and was released Friday.
Sea lions are protected under federal law, leading investigators from the U.S. Department if Commerce National Fishery Services to examine the potential of further federal charges against Nguyen, officials said. | Source: OC Register - July 31, 2007
Update posted on Jul 31, 2007 - 3:40PM |
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